Ruffling attachment for sewing-machines



(N0 ModeL) A. W. JOHNSON.

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 331,793. PatentedDeo. 3, 1333 1%? M5 Us ap/61mm 3 3 N PEITRS, PhmvLilhngnpber. Wahingtan. Dv C.

Uni-tint) Stains PATIENT @E ALBERT w. Johnson, on new HAVEN, CQNNEC'WOUT.

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEVVlNG-MAECHiNES.

SPECIFICATIOE? forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,793, dated December 8, 1885.

Application filed Fcbruaryll, Serial h'o. 155,301. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Beitknown that I, ALBERT W. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and StateofOonneciicut, have invented certain newand useful Improvementsin Ruffling Attachments for Sewinghlachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in ruff-ling attachments for sewing-machines in which a reciprocating ruiliingblade, actuated by the needle-bar of the machine, operates in conjunction with an adjustable shield or guard placed between it and the cloth operated upon, by which the ruffling-hlade is separated from the cloth during a greater or less portion of its stroke at the will of the operator, to pro duce plaits of various sizes without changing the stroke of the willing-blade; and its objects are, to provide a simple way of attaching and adjusting said shield or guard; to so con struct and arrange the mechanism for reciprocating the ruining-blade that its full stroke may be given before the needle-bar has reached the limit of its stroke in either direction, whereby considerable variation in the length of stroke of the needle-bar may be allowed without varying in length that of the ruillingblade, and also to provide a simple way of constructing, combining, and securing together. the foot, shank for attaching to the presser-bar, and frame.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 3 are side elevations of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same, and Fig. lis a detailed view of parts of the same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The frame B rests upon both ends of the foot C, and is firmly clamped and secured between it at its heel end and the shank G, the lower end of which passes through both the frame and foot, being provided with a shoulder above and riveted below, while the toe end of the foot is provided with a narrow pro jection, which engages in a notch, 14, in the frame. The top part of the shank G is formed and adapted to be attached to the presserbar of a sewing-machine.

To the outer vertical side of the frame 13 is pivoted a bell-crank lever, A, the long arm of which is bifurcated at its free end for engagement with the needlebar of a sewingmachine.

Upon the same side of the frame, below the pivot '0, upon which the bell-crank lever is hung, is a slide, F, adapted to be longitudinally reciprocated in the direction of the feed movement of the machine, being guided by means of slots 0 g therein, and studs i It, projecting from the frame into said slots and held in frictional contact with the frame by a head upon the studi and by the short arm I of the bell-crank lever A, the slide working between this arm I and the frame. The slide F is provided with lips orlugs m n, projecting out-ward for engagementwith the arm I of the bellcrank lever, which by its vibratory motion imparts a reciprocating movement to the slide. A wing of the slide F passes under the frame B and across the line of stitching of the n1achine, and to this wing is secured one end of the rufilin -blade a, the free end of which extends forward under the foot C.

Pivoted to the opposite side of the frame 13 is a lever, D, its lowerend, (I, turned out at right angles across the line of stitching parallel with and in the rear of the wing of the slide F, to which the ruiiling-blade c is secured.

Attached to the end (2 of the lever D by a hinge-joint is a shield or guard, 6, extending forward under and in close proximity to the ruftlingblade a, its free end terminating under the foot 0. This shield is longitudinally adjustable to or from the needle of the machine by turning the lever D on its pivot f, and this lever maybe securely retained in any desired position by means of notches at the edge of the top part,l3,of the frame 13, with which the lever may engage.

Below the rufflingblade a and shield 11 is the blade 0 of the separator H, which is secured to the frame B by means of the stud i, previously referred to. The cloth to be ruffied or plaited is inserted between the shield b and separatingblade 0. At the downstroke of the necdlebar of the machine thelong arm of the bell crank lever A is carried with it by reason of its engagement therewith, and the short arm I of the bell-crank lever,coming in contact with the lip on, causes the slide F to recede,carrying the rufflingblade with it, until its edge rests upon the shield 6. (See Fi 1.) At the upstroke of the needle-bar the movement of the bell-crank lever is reversed, and its arm I, coming in contact with the lip n,causes the slide F to move forward,carrying the ruffling-blade toward the needle of the machine, its edge sliding along upon the shield b,which rests upon the cloth to its end, when, passing off from the shield, it engages with the c1oth,carrying it forward in a fold or plait to the limit of its stroke, at which point the plait is in the proper position to be pierced by the needle. At the next descent of the needlebar the ruffling-blade is carried backward as before, its edge drawn back upon the cloth until the shield is reached, when it is drawn from the cloth and upon the shield, its edge riding upon the shield and out of contact with the cloth during the remainder of its backward stroke. At each succeeding ascent and descent of the needle-bar these operations are repeated. As the shield b is adjusted nearer to or farther from the needle, a smaller or larger plait is formed, the size of the plait depending upon the point in its forward stroke at which the rufiiing-blade engages with the cloth. The path traversed by the arm I of the bell-crank lever A being curved, and the slide F moving in a straight line, the lips m a are arranged in such positions on the slide that at the instant it reaches the desired limit of its stroke they pass out of the path of the arm I and out of engagement therewith, the lip n at its forward stroke and the lip m at its backward stroke, so that the bell crank lever may move much farther in either direction than is necessary to complete the full stroke of the slide and ruffling-blade without varying the length of that stroke, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 by broken lines, which represent the bell-crank lever carried in both directions to points beyond those necessary to give a full stroke to the slide, in which positions, it will be seen, the curved end of the arm I operates to hold the slide at the limit of its stroke until the return movement of the bellcrank lever takes place. By arranging the lips m n so that the stroke of the rufflingblade is completed a little before that of the needle-bar the necessity of careful adjustment of the attachment to the stroke of the needlebar is obviated.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a ruffling attachment for sewing-machines, the combination, with a reciprocating ruffling-blade, of a shield or guard, b, attached by a hinge-joint to an adjustinglever, D, pivoted to the frame B, the free end of said shield or guard extending forward under the ruffling-blade, between it and the cloth L0 be operated upon, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a ruffling attachment for sewing-machines, a shield or guard, b, attached by a hingejoint to an adjusting-lever, D, pivoted U to the frame B, combined with a slide, F, carrying a ruffling-blade, and a bell-crank lever, A, pivoted to said frame and actuated by the needle-bar, and adapted to impart a limited reciprocating movement to said slide by the engagement of'its arm I with lips in n, so arranged upon said'slide as to move in and out of the path of said arm, substantially as described. 1

3. In a rufiling attachment for sewing-machines, the combination of the frame B, reciprocating slide F, carrying a rufflingblade, a, and provided with an outwardly-projecting lip, a, and bell-crank lever A, pivoted to said frame, connected with and actuated by the needle-bar, with its arm I, constructed and arranged to hold said slide F in frictional contact with the Vertical side of said frame, to engage with said lip n at the upstroke of the needle-bar, and thereby impart to said slide and ruftling-blade a forward movement, limited by the said lip n passing out of the path of said arm I, and to prevent a rearward movement of said rufflingblade by its curved end operating as a stop against said lip it until after the upstroke of the needle-bar is completed and its motion reversed, and adapted to impart movement to said slide and ruffiing-blade in the opposite direction at the downstroke of the needle-bar by engagement with a suitable projection, in, upon said slide, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the frame B, foot 0, and shank G, constructed as described, of a slide, F, carrying a ruffling-blade, a, a bellcrank lever, A, pivoted to said frame and operating to hold said slide in frictional contact therewith, and the lips in n, projecting outwardly from said slide, constructed and arranged to be moved by the arm I of said bell-crank lever in and out of the path there of, whereby a limited reciprocating movement is imparted to said slide and rufflingblade, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the frame B, bellcrank lever A, separator H, provided with the blade a, slide F, provided with lips m a and carrying a ruffling-blade, a, and shield b, hinged to its supporting and adjusting lever D, with the foot 0 and shank G, when constructed and arranged substantially as described.

6. In a ruffling attachment for sewing-machines, the combination, with a reciprocating ruffling-blade, of the foot 0 and shank G, formed of separate pieces, and the frame B, when so secured together that said frame B is firmly clamped between said foot and shank at the heel end of said. foot, and supported upon and interlocked with said foot at its toe end by means of a projection on one engaging in a corresponding notch, u, in the other, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT -W. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

EDWIN 0. Dow, CHARLES K. BUsH. 

